Amazon (AMZN  ), the online retail powerhouse, has had far-reaching impacts on the way commerce is conducted. Amazon's effects on brick-and-mortar retail, the shipping industry, online marketplace structure, and customer personalization are well-documented, as is Amazon's rapid and unabated growth.

Amazon is also beginning to affect another industry: digital advertising.

While e-commerce is still the primary source of Amazon's revenue, it seems they are actively seeking to expand their share of online marketing. Amazon's advertising revenue is currently estimated at $1.2 billion in total, a very small portion compared to other sites: Alphabet, Inc. (GOOG  ), Google's parent company, earned $79.4 billion in ad revenues in 2016, while Facebook (FB  ) earned $26.9 billion across all of its platforms, including Instagram. Facebook and Google accounted for nearly 20% of global digital advertising. Alibaba (BABA  ), often described as a the Chinese equivalent of Amazon, was the next nearest competitor, taking up 6.5% of the digital ad market worldwide.

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While Amazon has been in the digital advertising business for years, they are attempting to shore up their share of the market by increasing the number of advertisements they sell directly on their site, and by using their cache of consumer data to aid other companies in reaching potential customers off-site. Amazon has also created an ad-selling system that resembles Google's DoubleClick, a marketplace for digital advertisements.

Marketers may welcome this expansion as an alternative to the duopoly of Facebook and Google, particularly as these companies encounter regulatory turbulence in Europe. Marketers may also appreciate the wealth of detailed information Amazon can provide about consumer browsing and buying patterns.

Companies are increasingly realizing that advertisements placed on Amazon can be used to help users discover new products and easily purchase them. Marketers are consequently adapting and creating new advertising strategies tailored specifically to the site.

A 2016 survey showed that customers appreciated the wealth of information Amazon presents on their product pages, including product reviews, photos, videos, and descriptions. Customers have come to expect this level of detail in all of their purchases. Brands have taken note, and are adding sleek product images and detailed product specifications to their pages. They are also making efforts to increase customer engagement by offering lifestyle tips and recipes, by holding promotional events to encourage product users to leave reviews, and by paying Amazon additional fees for page customization.

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Amazon has a vast quantity of customer data, browsing habits, and shopping preferences to its advantage, as well as in-home smart devices such as Alexa, which could also soon offer advertising opportunities.

While Amazon could become an enticing alternative to Facebook and Google, other social media companies that previously helped change the face of digital advertising are struggling to remain relevant. Snapchat, owned by parent company Snap Inc. (SNAP  ), has faced fierce rivalry from Facebook's Instagram Stories, and recently added a number of tools to its advertising platform that will make increase efficiency for ad campaign management. Twitter (TWTR  ), which enhanced direct engagement with consumers based on replies, retweets, and other user activity, has also recently seen projections of future dips in ad revenues.